Vietnam War: Part II

Part II: The War

When America goes to war with Northern Vietnam alongside South Vietnam, it wanted to fight a limited war due to the fact that the U.S. thought victory was guaranteed. What America did not anticipate was the passion and the pure want for independence that the North Vietnam communists had for their country. The conflict ended up lasting for 7 years, from 1965-1973.

Timeline [H]:

Time	Event
1964	The Gulf of Tonkin resolution is passed by Congress
1965	Operation “Rolling Thunder,” or sustained American bombing raids of North Vietnam, is deployed.
	The first Marines are stationed at Danang.
	Ia Drang Valley – the first conventional battle of the Vietnam War
1966	B-52s are first used to bomb Northern Vietnam
	South Vietnam takes Hue and Danang
1967	Operation Cedar Fall launches: Large number of troops are sent out to destroy a system of weapons that supply the Vietcong, the massive system of tunnels called the “Iron Triangle”
1968	North Vietnam begins Tet Offensive, considered the turning point in the war, where an onslaught of North Vietnamese and Viet Cong take over major cities of South Vietnam, including its capital, Saigon. While Communists suffered heavy losses, it was still considered a psychological victory for them.
	The Battle for Hue: 26 days as South Vietnam tries to re-attain areas lost during the Tet Offensive. The city Hue is left to the dust.
March 16	My Lai Massacre: American soldiers enter the village of My Lai and start killing
	Peace talks are scheduled to be held in Paris, May 10
1969	Nixon allows secret bombing of the Operation “Breakfast”, which targeted the supply routes and base camps in Cambodia
	Laird announces the process of “Vietnamization,” where the U.S. would slowly leave the war and leave the fighting between the two Vietnams
1972	B-52s bomb Hanoi and Haiphong
1973	Cease fire is signed by countries
1975	Hue falls to the Communists
	Communists target Saigon
April 30	U.S. troops pull out as Saigon falls to the Communists
	Saigon is renamed Ho Chi Minh City
July 2, 1976	Pham Vat Dong is named prime minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam